The Jewish Cultural Quarter (Joods Cultureel Kwartier) brings together four sites in Amsterdam's former Jewish quarter, around Waterlooplein and Plantage Middenlaan: the Jewish Museum (Joods Museum), the Portuguese Synagogue, the National Holocaust Museum (Nationaal Holocaust Museum) and the Hollandsche Schouwburg. A combined ticket at €30 (adult, online), valid for one week, gives access to all four sites in any order. The Jewish Museum opens every day from 11am to 5pm, the Holocaust Museum from 10am to 5pm; the Portuguese Synagogue is closed on Saturdays and on some Jewish holidays. All the sites are a few minutes' walk from Waterlooplein metro station.
Highlights
The Portuguese Synagogue
Inaugurated in 1675, it was the largest synagogue in the world when it was built. The interior, almost unchanged, is still lit by candles in large brass chandeliers, with no electricity. The underground treasure chambers display ritual objects, books and silverware, as well as 18th-century linen hangings found inside the holy ark in 2022.
The Jewish Museum
It occupies four former Ashkenazi synagogues linked together, including the Great Synagogue of 1671 and the New Synagogue of 1752. The permanent exhibition covers Jewish religion, history and culture in the Netherlands; the Rintel hanukkiah, a silver candelabrum over one metre tall donated in 1753, stands where it has been for more than two centuries.
The National Holocaust Museum
Opened in March 2024 in a former teacher training college, it is the first museum in the Netherlands devoted entirely to the persecution and murder of the Dutch Jews. During the occupation, hundreds of Jewish children held in the crèche next door were saved from deportation by being smuggled through this building. The museum is recommended from the age of 10.
The Hollandsche Schouwburg
From July 1942, Jews ordered to report for deportation were assembled in this former theatre, opposite the Holocaust Museum; tens of thousands of people passed through its doors. It is now a place of remembrance, free to enter without a ticket.
The Jewish Museum Junior
For ages 6 to 12, this interactive space set in the home of the Hollander family lets children bake challah, write in Hebrew and discover different ways of living Jewish life.
Opening hours and tickets
Jewish Museum: every day 11am-5pm. National Holocaust Museum and Hollandsche Schouwburg: every day 10am-5pm. Portuguese Synagogue: Sunday to Thursday 11am-5pm (11am-4pm in December and January), Friday 11am-4pm in October then 11am-2pm from November to January, closed on Saturdays; closed on 4 October 2026 (Simchat Torah) and 1 January 2027. Combined ticket (four sites): €30; duo ticket for the Jewish Museum and the synagogue: €20; ticket for the Holocaust Museum and the Hollandsche Schouwburg: €20. Students €10; ages 13-17 €8; ages 6-12 €6; free for under-6s and with the Museumkaart or the I amsterdam City Card.
Infos pratiques
Tips
Buy your tickets online: they cost €2 more at the ticket desk. The combined ticket is valid for a week, so you can spread the visit over two days; adding the Holocaust Museum to the duo ticket costs only €10 more for an adult (prices checked in October 2026). Before visiting on a Friday or during a Jewish holiday, check the synagogue's opening hours, as it is still a place of worship.
How to get there
Jewish Museum: Nieuwe Amstelstraat 1, 1011 PL Amsterdam; Portuguese Synagogue: Mr. Visserplein 3, 1011 RD Amsterdam; National Holocaust Museum: Plantage Middenlaan 27, 1018 DB Amsterdam; Hollandsche Schouwburg: Plantage Middenlaan 24, 1018 DE Amsterdam. From Central Station (Amsterdam Centraal): metro 51, 53 or 54 to Waterlooplein, Nieuwe Amstelstraat exit, then a two-minute walk, or tram 14 to the Waterlooplein stop. The Holocaust Museum and the Hollandsche Schouwburg are a few minutes' walk away along Plantage Middenlaan, which tram 14 also runs along.
Opening hours
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